Our Grown-Up Christmas List

“And now we welcome the new year. Full of things that have never been.” —Rilke

Happy 2025! Whaddayasay we start the new year off right and talk about winning reads. My sister, Nin, phoned yesterday to say she finished All the Glimmering Stars on her Christmas vacation. She gushed over Mark Sullivan’s latest. We readily agreed we’re far wealthier girls for having met the remarkable Opokas. It’s hard to resist a guide to being a good human. If you haven’t read All the Glimmering Stars, you really should. You’ll be so glad you did.

I’ve shocked myself semi-silly because I finished another book on our grown-up Christmas List. Maybe 2025 is going to be our year! (Rae and I verbally put that out into the universe so it’s bound to happen, right?) I ended the year on a high note. I ended the year reading Jayne Anne Phillips’ Night Watch. It appears the 2024 Pulitzer Prize winner I carefully wrapped to rest under Rae’s immaculate Christmas tree has received mixed reviews. Not everyone is up for a novel that probes some of the devastating aspects of war. Phillips introduces us to vivid characters like a defaced night watchman who, after miraculously surviving soldiering in the Civil War, protects the occupants of the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum. But the most important people in the story are Eliza and her 12-year-old daughter, ConaLee who fall prey to a maniacal and abusive Confederate soldier. You’ll have to read Phillips’ stunning pages to find out how they heal in a madhouse (of all places).

I second this author’s appraisal— “Jayne Anne Phillips is a wonderfully gifted storyteller…in this marvelous new novel, largely set in a factual nineteenth-century asylum, she achieves even more: history and imagination merge, and she gives the past a living pulse.” She gives life to small moments of amazing grace.

Posted by Tracy

No Such Thing As Too Much Love

Literary hangover: the feeling of lingering emotional attachment or mental immersion in a book after finishing it, where you might find it difficult to start a new book because you're still deeply invested in the characters and world of the previous story.

Can we all love on Rachel for a minute? Despite being up to her ears, she has done it again, folks. The holiday gift guide is live! It’s worth wandering over, I promise. I’m proud to report that I’ve already read a book on our Christmas list. Please—somebody, anybody—tell me that means I’m ahead for a change. This Motherless Land proved to be a great little listen. When I tell you TML is a retelling of Mansfield Park, you’ll have no trouble believing we 2@27 girls swooned some over this one. There’s no such thing as Too Much Love for Jane around here. We’re ardent Janeites!

If you’re a Janeite, you’ll remember that Austen’s third published novel revolves around poor Fanny Price. At age 10, she is sent to live with her wealthy Aunt and Uncle Bertram in Mansfield Park. Her new life is not easy to navigate. Nikki May’s protagonist is a Nigerian girl named Funke who experiences a devastating family tragedy. When she’s shipped off to England, a place as foreign to her as the moon, she’s forlorn. Funke and Fanny would definitely get along. Themes of loneliness—and dare I say pride and prejudice—surface in May’s latest. I must admit, This Motherless Land gave me a literary hangover. It made me long for Fanny and her dysfunctional crew. I desperately need a week of being still, but I’d settle for a quiet 24. Oh, to be so lucky! On the off chance I am, you can bet I’ll head straight for Mansfield Park.

Posted by Tracy

Bravehearts, Press On!

“We are merely renting these bodies of ours. You came into this world on an in breath. You will exit on an out breath.”

That’s right, Abe. We have limited time before breath becomes air, so let me take this opportunity to thank you for writing beautiful literature. We’ve recommended a lot of books over the years. And we feel good about nearly all of our picks. Had we but world enough and time, we’d write a featured post that spotlights novels which achieve the beautiful lit accolade. One thing’s for sure: The Covenant of Water would definitely make the cut.

We’re not alone. Oprah, resident billionaire bookworm, revealed that The Covenant of Water is “one of the best books I’ve read in my entire life…. It’s transportive. Many moments during the read I had to stop and remember to breathe.” O also highlighted Verghese’s masterpiece as an “epic” novel when it comes to teaching important life lessons about death. Beautiful literature is rarely an easy read. In other words, Covenant is not for the faint-of-heart reader. Set in South India’s Malabar Coast, Verghese’s story eddies around a family beset by a mysterious affliction. A Parambil family is haunted by waters. With each new generation, the inexplicable curse—death by drowning—rages on. Memorable characters remind us that loss is part of life. You cannot have one without the other. Grief and faith should be inseparable friends. While I may be renting this body of mine, I own my faith. I’m sure I just heard Big Ammachi whisper this truth to the universe: Faith will give you strength to survive debilitating hardship. Press on!

This Thanksgiving week, I’m especially grateful for beautiful literature that supplies me with significant reminders. And for each of you who compel me to write about it.

Posted by Tracy

It Was Karma, It Was Kismet

Okay, it’s official—a ridiculous amount of time has transpired since we’ve recommended your next great read. I could tell you all about a monster work deadline that beat me up for weeks. But I’ll spare you. Suffice it to say, I could use a nap. Followed by some amazing pages I simply can’t help but turn. A girl can dream, right?

Rae and I just read the same book: The Mighty Red by Louise Erdrich. Will it surprise anyone that Rae is streets ahead of me when it comes to finding and getting to know the best authors? Didn’t think so. I shudder to admit that this the first Erdrich novel I’ve ever read. (She’s been nominated for the Pulitzer twice—she won for her 2020 novel The Night Watchman.) That’s a little appalling. I’m making amends now.

The Mighty Red is about real people. Real people living in North Dakota where life is hard more often than not. The focus of Erdrich’s story revolves around a teenage girl named Kismet, who’s comfortable in her skin but confused by love. The high school quarterback—haunted by secrets—pushes Kismet toward marriage, while a younger bookish boy named Hugo dreams of a future life with her too. Other interesting stories eddy around Kismet’s. I love this story about “ordinary people who dream, grow up, fall in love, struggle, endure tragedy, carry bitter secrets; men and women both complicated and contradictory, flawed and decent, lonely and hopeful. It is about a starkly beautiful prairie community whose members must cope with devastating consequences as powerful forces upend them. As with every book this great modern master writes, The Mighty Red is about our tattered bond with the earth, and about love in all of its absurdity and splendor.”

Posted by Tracy

Three Nonfiction Stunners

“Next time I’ll show up more put together.” —the title of my pending memoir

Would it surprise any of you as much as it did me that I started this post in May of 2023? The gasp I gasped. I’d lament the state of my life the past couple years but then that may add another year before this gets posted. For now, I’ll just refer you to the above quote.

In the words of Fran Lebowitz, “Think before you speak. Read before you think.” It’s no secret we’re big believers in devouring the written word around here. Nor will it surprise anyone that we believe books to be some of our finest teachers—both the fiction and nonfiction variety. I happened to be on a bit of a true tale kick a couple months ago (ahem, a year ago) and thought I’d share three standouts.

A Must Read

Ooof. This book. This is edge-of-your-seat reading, folks. You will gasp out loud, you will rage, you will cheer, and you will be shocked at how little can change in the span of a hundred years. With the recent rise of Christian Nationalism, this book is a must read. In the words of Pulitzer-Prize winning Elizabeth Kolbert: “Timothy Egan’s history of the Ku Klux Klan’s rise and fall is absolutely gripping. It is also terrifyingly relevant.”

A Gut Punch

Every once in a while, a book comes along that completely changes my worldview (Just Mercy, I’m looking at you). Matthew Desmond’s unflinching reporting on how our very systems create and maintain poverty in America is a gut punch. The New York Times writes: “A compact jeremiad on the persistence of extreme want in a nation of extraordinary wealth . . . [Desmond’s] purpose here is to draw attention to what’s plain in front of us—damn the etiquette, and damn the grand abstractions.”

A Beautiful Read

I came to this one by way of my latest literary bestie, Ann Patchett. She’s yet to lead me astray. Honestly, I’m not sure I need say more than what Jaouad has said herself, “I decided to reimagine my survival as a creative act.“ What a gift that she let us come along for the ride. Speaking of that ride, New York Times Book Reviewer Chanel Miller put it best: "I was immersed for the whole ride and would follow Jaouad anywhere. Her sensory snapshots remain in my mind long after reading . . . Not only can Jaouad tolerate the unbearable feelings, she can reshape them into poetry . . . Her writing restores the moon, lights the way as we learn to endure the unknown.”

PS- Jaouad’s instagram feed and newsletter are two of my favorite reads. I can’t get enough of her light.

Posted by Rachel

Stranger Things

“Extraordinary ... I was so thoroughly submerged in a rich fictional world, that for hours I barely came up for air ... Moore’s previous book...was a superb social novel about the opioid crisis in Philadelphia; The God of the Woods is something weirder and stranger and unforgettable.” —Maureen Corrigan, NPR

Rachel’s on top of things, no surprise there. When she posted Barack’s summer picks, I was delighted that me and the former Pres agree The God of the Woods is a great read. High five and fist bumps, Barack! Before I tell you why I think Jimmy Fallon’s Summer Book Club Pick was a hit, let me give you a little bit of background on Liz Moore’s latest.

The God of the Woods revolves around a teenage girl who disappears from her parent’s summer camp in the Adirondacks. Her prominent family ensures an exhaustive search ensues. They can’t face the possibility of another unsolved disappearance—their older son also vanished years before. Curious yet? Good. Moore will keep you guessing across the pages.

Here are a few reasons The God of the Woods is a cut above your typical thriller: for one, Judyta Luptack is an extremely likable female investigator who knows her worth, despite being in a male-dominated field. (I felt a connection to Moore’s characters.) And who doesn’t love layers of family secrets? This riveting mystery has loads of them. Maybe the most compelling reason to read this Fallon-approved whodunnit is it’s hard to untangle, which is the hallmark of a great mystery in my mind. I’m pretty sure me and Barry are on the same page here: we derive real satisfaction from figuring out the puzzle. Remember, it’s about the quest, not the grail!

Posted by Sharee

In Jenna We Trust

“All The Colors of the Dark kept me frantically turning the pages and somehow made me cry at the end…Brava!”—Kristin Hannah

I’m ba-ack! While I’ve been verbally pining for a vacation, that is not the reason for my month-long silence. (Give it up for Sharee who’s kept the good books a comin’!) I could offer several excuses for being a sloth, but here’s my truth: I’ve been bewitched. My head and heart succumbed and I fell headlong into a wonder-induced, hypnotic state since I finished All The Glimmering Stars. A message for the ages. Florence Okori is my hero, my mentor, my inspiration. In the words of our girl Rae, if there were a required reading list for life, All The Glimmering Stars would definitely be on it. I can’t stop thinking about it. Mark Sullivan, you’re made up of countless tiny luminous stars. Thanks for lighting my universe.

Choosing what to read after experiencing book nirvana is tough. Naturally, I went with a different genre. A crime thriller sounded about right. In Jenna we trust, so I downloaded Chris Whitaker’s All the Colors of the Dark. I was hooked from the start. A one-eyed Missouri boy named “Patch” saves a girl who is attacked in the woods. The plot thickens quickly when the attacker kidnaps Patch—he locks him in a dark cellar for months on end. The boy’s only source of light comes from a girl, real or imagined, named Grace. Once Patch resurfaces, life still feels heavy and dim. More girls disappear. Patch is on a mission. Whitaker’s plot is well thought out and complex—plus he weaves in important ideas about hope and love. Because we’re fans of a real whodunnit and big believers in Grace, this book fits the 2@27 bill. Brava, C. Whit. Brava!

Posted by Tracy